As part of my second university module, I’m putting together a case study focusing on being a comedy writer in the UK, and the ways in which a new writer can make a career out of being funny on British television. Though I’m still in the early stages of researching the project, I’ve already noticed a few recurring ways a new writer can breakthrough:
Write and Perform Your Own Characters
Many performers write for themselves, creating great characters they can portray. Whether it’s Phoebe Waller-Bridge turning her one-woman monologue Fleabag into the hugely-acclaimed dark comedy of the same name, or Daisy-May Cooper and her brother Charlie writing and starring in the semi-autobiographical This Country, some of the finest British comedies of the decade have been written by actors and performers wanting to jumpstart their careers and give themselves their big break.
Enter every comedy writing competition going – and win!
As competitive as they are, there’s no denying that achieving success in one of the many major comedy writing competitions in the UK is a great way to get your foot in the door. Finalists in the BBC’s illustrious Comedy Script Room have gone on to write for radio and CBBC shows, while winners of the BAFTA Rocliffe Comedy Writing competition have developed sitcoms for the BBC and written for shows as successful as Killing Eve. Hundreds and thousands of writers enter these competitions every year – if you’re good enough to win, you’re almost certainly good enough to make a career out of it.
Go Viral
A recent phenomenon is writers achieving success on social media platforms before being spotted and transferring their skills to television. People Just Do Nothing is a big enough BBC property to earn multiple series and a film, but it started life as a youtube sketch. Meanwhile, cult Scottish comedian Limmy continues to work on characters and stories on his popular Twitch channel, having first become popular on Vine before getting his own BBC sketch show. If you can prove there’s an audience for your brand of comedy, you might just impress the right names.
–Harry Ford
Harry Ford - Comedian 